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Monday, October 03, 2016

Leaving Las Vegas

When Brian and I went to Las Vegas five years ago for a SAP Conference, I couldn't wait to go home.

This time?

I didn't want to leave :)

My "Kid-free" selfie :)

Just lounging at the airport.

Brian is so excited to be traveling with me, can't you tell?

The most computer geeks (or nerds) you'll ever find in one place.

Just look at the shirt for proof.

After registering, we walked around for a bit and eventually found a restaurant to eat dinner at.

We stayed at the Treasure Island hotel this time. Although the rooms weren't as "luxurious" as the Palazzo, I actually liked this hotel better. For one, I couldn't get lost in the lobby. Secondly, the bed was so incredibly comfortable.

Walking around The Venetian is my favorite thing to do for sure.

The next day, Brian headed to Day 1 of the conference while I did a whole lot of this:

Yeah, I had a week of Days of Our Lives episodes to catch up on. And I got to watch them uninterrupted. Pure bliss.

I eventually got hungry so I threw some clothes on and headed out to walk down the strip in search of food.

I absolutely LOVE the Grand Canal Shoppes. I didn't buy a thing from a designer label, but I loved window shopping :)

We ate fast food Indian cuisine and it was so good! And cheap, even for Las Vegas!

I saw several newly married couples in Vegas this time and Brian made fun of me for taking a picture. :)

The next day I signed up for a day bus tour at The Hoover Dam. But first I stepped inside The Wyn to check out their lobby and shops. It was very pretty!

The bus picked me up at 1:00 PM. I finally saw the other side of the strip as we were leaving.

Most people think of "Sin City" when they think of Las Vegas... gambling, liquor, girls, etc. Since we were in bed by 10 PM West Coast time, we didn't take advantage of "The City That Never Sleeps." Las Vegas is just a very visually appealing place. There's lots of neat architecture and buildings to look at.

And no humidity. Let's not forget that very important part.

As soon as we were 10 minutes outside of the strip, we were surrounded by desert and mountains.

It was a quick 45 minute bus ride to the Dam. Then we took a tour of the insides. I have to admit that I wasn't very fascinated by turbines and pipes. Jayce would have loved it.

Even with my wide angle 24 mm lens, I couldn't fit the entire dam into a frame.

The new bridge they built was GORGEOUS in person. Pictures do not do it justice.

And here's the other side of the dam.

Then we loaded back on the bus and headed to the strip.

I got back just in time to celebrate Brian's birthday with him at Chili's. Who goes to Vegas to eat at a restaurant we could eat at in South Carolina? Obviously we do.

It sure is pretty there at night. Thank goodness for black out shades :) And hey... I got to see the dam that powers all the electricity that this city needs.

So, I did go shopping in one place :)

Here's the view from our hotel room:

I finished Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty and started Light Between the Oceans.

I went down to the pool the morning before we left. The weather wasn't really conducive to pool time, unfortunately. It was either overcast, raining, or super windy.

Then my friend Julie picked me up and took me to Red Rocks Canyon. That was so much fun! And I loved seeing Julie!

We got back just in time for our reservations at Mario Batali's restaurant. It was super fine dining, way better than anything we are used to!

Sadly, the next day we had to pack up.

I love that you can go to a convention, gamble in a casino, get a facial in a spa, or get married... all in one place!

I stopped at this bakery to get my mom a treat to take back to SC.

One last look at the Venetian.

Oh, and here's some views of our hotel from the outside.

As for gambling, Brian lost a dollar and won a dollar. Not bad to break even :)

There's talk about us going to the Grand Canyon next October, so we might be back in Vegas sooner than 5 years :)